158 SOUTHERN CRUISE. 



the wind and sea were both setting the ship, rendered their situation 

 truly appalling. The prospect of any one surviving, in case they had 

 struck, was extremely slight. The night was dark and stormy, and 

 the dragging continued occasionally until midnight, when they found 

 they had passed and escaped the rock, and were near the reef. They 

 now shipped a heavy sea over the bows, the shock of which was so 

 £reat that it parted their cables, and their drifting became rapid. 

 From the set of the current, they just cleared the reef. When the 

 point of the island bore east of south, they slipped their cables, wore 

 round, and made sail; and on the 21st, at daybreak, they found them- 

 selves off Cape Gloucester. 



The conduct of Lieutenant-Commandant Long, his officers and men, 

 during the perilous situation in which the Relief was placed, deserves 

 great praise ; they did their duty in every respect. On getting to sea, 

 Lieutenant-Commandant Long, with a council of officers, opened his 

 sealed instructions, which directed him to proceed to Valparaiso, in the 

 event of not finding me on his return to Orange Harbour; and con- 

 cluded to make for Valparaiso, off which port he arrived on the 13th 

 of April, without anchors, which soon became known to Commandant 

 Locke, of her Britannic Majesty's ship Fly. He, in the most prompt 

 and handsome manner, despatched a boat with an anchor to the 

 assistance of the Relief; and it affords me great pleasure to acknow- 

 ledge the obligation we feel for this opportune service. The next 

 day the Relief anchored in the bay of Valparaiso. 



But to return to Orange Harbour. 



The Flying-Fish arrived on the 11th April. The duties of the 

 observatory having been completed, the instruments w r ere embarked, 

 and every thing made ready for our departure. During the Vincennes' 

 stay here of sixty days, we found the weather exceedingly changeable. 

 The winds prevailed forty-seven days from the westward, twelve days 

 from the north and eastward, and one from the southeast. The mean 

 temperature was 44-38° ; maximum, 56°, minimum, 32°. During this 

 time there were eleven gales of wind, of from two to three days' duration. 



The mean range of the barometer was 29-801 in. ; its movement in 

 predicting the weather, was directly opposite. to that observed in other 

 latitudes, the gales always commencing when the barometer began 

 to rise, fine weather generally continuing until it reached its minimum, 

 29-109 in., to which it sinks in from twenty-four to thirty-six hours 

 and where it remained stationary for a few hours, during all which 

 time the weather continued good. As the barometer begins to rise, 

 the gales come on, and continue until the mercury again reaches 

 nearly its maximum point, 30-244 in. 



